South Sudan, and its rigorous journey to Olympic competition, has been one of the biggest feel-good storylines to follow throughout the 2024 Paris Games. A true underdog tale of resilience in every sense, worthy of global praise.
Despite having little international experience, South Sudan, led by Harlem’s Royal Ivey, nearly defeated Team USA in exhibition play and earned its first-ever Olympic win on Sunday against Puerto Rico.
Entering Wednesday’s rematch against the Americans inside Paris’ Pierre Mauroy Stadium, Ivey and the South Sudanese were more confident than ever in their chances to take down the world’s best.
Unfortunately for South Sudan, Team USA had no interest in a letdown performance after dominating Serbia 110-84 on Sunday.
What South Sudan had accomplished so far in these Olympics had been remarkable, but the Americans’ depth and offensive firepower was just too much to overcome on Wednesday. And while they did show signs of life early and late in regulation, Team USA rolled, 103-86, in a game where they shot 53% from the field, 43% from 3-point range and had six players finish in double figures.
Team USA moved to 2-0 in group play with the win, qualified for the tournament quarterfinals and will face Puerto Rico in its third game on Saturday. South Sudan, 1-1, will continue its Olympic run against Serbia on the same day.
And just like that, the Americans are one step closer to gold.
Team USA head coach Steve Kerr has used these early Olympic games for experimentation, as he typically does throughout the opening weeks of the NBA season with the Golden State Warriors. Against South Sudan, the four-time champion went with a starting lineup of Stephen Curry, Devin Booker, LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Jayson Tatum.
Tatum famously did not play in the Americans’ Olympic opener against Serbia, much to the dismay of Boston Celtics fans everywhere. Kerr later explained that decision was 100% his call and went with a lineup that made the most sense for that specific game.
However, Kerr did assure reporters that Tatum would still make his mark in these Olympics, and against South Sudan, he got his first chance to do so. The newly-crowned NBA champion was not at his best offensively in just over 17 minutes of action, finishing with four points, five rebounds and a pair of assists.
Kevin Durant picked up right where he left off against Serbia, albeit with less efficiency, finishing with 14 points in his second game removed from a calf injury that forced him to miss the entirety of exhibition play. And James added 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting after enjoying a 3-of-3 start from the field.
Nuni Omot scored a game-high 24 points for South Sudan. Team USA attempted 20 free throws to South Sudan’s 12 and scored 25 points in transition.
However, the true hero for the Americans on Wednesday was Bam Adebayo of the Miami Heat, who scored a team-high 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting off the bench with seven rebounds and two blocks.
Team USA’s bench outscored South Sudan’s 66-14, another testament to its otherworldly depth in international competition.
Kerr said he will continue to adjust Team USA’s rotations based on its opponent, so it would not be too surprising if he went with different combinations against Puerto Rico.
However, regardless of what combinations Kerr uses going forward, it is clear that the Americans — coming off consecutive blowout wins — remain heavy favorites to earn gold.